Buhari to governors: work with local chiefs to tackle insecurity

Buhari spoke on Tuesday during a meeting with governors of the 36 states in Abuja.

The President, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said operating with monarchs and other community members would improve local intelligence collecting and help the work of security agencies.

Buhari, who listened to presentations by a governor from each of the six zones over the particular security challenges affecting each area, stated: “The sub-region is no longer safe, more so with the collapse of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and also the cross border movement of firearms and offenders.

“Governors must work with traditional rulers. Attempt to utilize traditional rulers to enhance intelligence gathering.”

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The President stated his administration had performed in the Northeast and South south.

“Every day that I get situation reports about illegal refineries as well as the blowing up of pipelines. You have to stop local rogues from petroleum installations,” he said.

We are thinking very hard on the issue of kidnapping. We will make it possible for the military to reach the bandits and kidnappers and eliminate them.”

He explained that the closure of the country’s land borders was partially an effort to control the smuggling in of weapons and drugs.

“Now the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the boundaries as soon as you can,” he said.

Buhari gave assurances that the nation’s military would continue to receive the support they had to fight criminals.

“I am not going to the public to speak concerning the vehicles and equipment we have ordered. What I can say is that the army obtained armoured cars and other equipment and they are training the trainers. More of these equipment, including military aircrafts will come in,” he said.

Buhari said he would not tolerate hoodlums taking over the nation under the guise of protests.

“we don’t stop anyone from displaying, but you don’t set up roadblocks and smash windscreens. Which government will enable that? Democracy does not imply confusion or lack of liability.”

Buhari detained the CNN and BBC of being unjust in their own reports about the EndSARS protests.

“I was disgusted by the coverage, which did not concentrate on the policemen that were killed, the channels which were burnt, and prisons that were opened. (They said we are all at fault. We don’t have the familiarity of anybody.

On the eight-month long attack by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the President stated lecturers had not taken into account the larger challenges facing the country.

“Government declared something. The problem is that they refused to examine the problem of the entire country. The Minister of Labour is working hard at it. It’s amazing how ASUU will remain out of classrooms for so long. There’s a need for our elites to comprehend the challenges confronting the country,” he explained.

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